Led by Clan Stuart, a group of Scots that included the last vestiges of Scotland's military, the Highlanders, colonized the planet of Northwind, largely due to its agreeable climate.[1] Throughout the centuries, the Highlanders earned a reputation as an elite unit with high standards and morals that were not for sale. During the Third Succession War, they signed on with the Capellan Confederation in what was essentially an exclusive contract, after the Federated Suns invaded Northwind and destroyed two Highlander regiments. The situation changed, however, when Prince Hanse Davion of the Federated Suns decided to invade the Capellan Confederation in what would become known as the Fourth Succession War.

A turning point in Highlanders history was when Davion contacted them and promised them a home on their ancestral homeworld, Northwind. The vast majority of the Highlanders chose to abandon the Capellan Confederation and took up station on Northwind. Some Highlanders chose to stay, however, creating rifts in some families. The Highlanders ably served the Federated Commonwealth, including service along the Clan front.

Another turning point occurred in 3057, when Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao sent Loren Jaffray, a Death Commando whose grandfather was a Highlander who remained in the Confederation, to Northwind to offer the Highlanders their independence. Coinciding with the Marik-Liao invasion, the Highlanders were tied up as they fought a minor civil war, then debated whether or not to accept the Chancellor's proposal. Colonel William McLeod, the ranking Highlander on planet, was able to reunite his troops, and ultimately they chose to fight for their independence, and with the arrival of Stirling's Fusiliers sent the Lyran3rd Royal Guards packing. Though Jaffray's mission was supposedly to destroy the Highlanders for their betrayal of Sun-Tzu's grandfather, Liao seemed content to have deprived the Federated Commonwealth of them and accepted the Death Commando's defection to the Highlanders with nary a second thought.

Jaffray proved his loyalty to the Highlanders soon enough, in a raid against Clan Smoke Jaguar. In the aftermath of this operation, Jaffray was put in command of the Northwind Hussars, a new unit formed specifically to counter Clan tactics.[2] (Interestingly, the same concept had been proposed much earlier to the Highlanders by Jeremiah Rose, who was rebuffed due to the objections of his own father.)[3]

The sudden, consecutive deaths of four Clan Elders forced the Highlanders to activate escape clauses in their contracts to return to Northwind, so they could participate in emergency elections.[4] The Word of Blake seized the opportunity to blockade the system on 15 December, 3067, and keep all of the Highlanders regiments isolated on Northwind.[5][6]

Later in the Jihad, when the Word of Blake debuted a new version of the Crab BattleMech, it was speculated by many that the Cosara Weaponries plant on Northwind had been captured by the Blakists. [7]

Northwind was liberated on the 8th of December 3077; allied coalition forces expected a battle, but instead found no Blakist presence in the system. The population of Northwind claimed to believe that the Word of Blake had an impenetrable blockade over the system; all of the local AeroSpace assets were missing, and the local satellite communications network had been destroyed. The planetary HPG had also been destroyed, but the Highlanders were otherwise intact after ten years of isolation.[8]

The Highlanders later joined the Coalition forces as part of Operation SCOUR. Assigned to the Draconis Combine front, the Highlanders mopped up resistance on Dieron after the Ghost Bears tore through the defenders.[8][9] Though many were unsure of their loyalty, the Highlanders joined the assault on Terra, assigned to take Sydney.[10] The combat drop went awry and the Sydney force took serious losses. The Seventh and Twenty-Sixth Divisions fought the mercenaries for every centimeter of land.[11]

By 3081 the Northwind Highlanders' programme to rebuild was well-advanced; the factories on Northwind assisted in bringing the strength of the Highlanders up quickly, and the Highlanders had already recruited enough replacements to man all of their equipment. The few Dispossessed within the Highlanders' ranks were used to teach within the Northwind Military Academy on the key subjects of combined arms warfare and what limited defences existed for protection against WMDs. The view among the Highlanders was that the nascent Republic Armed Forces may present a viable means to ensure that Northwind remained safe in the future, and it was widely anticipated that the Highlanders would join the Republic of the Sphere.[12]

When the Northwind Highlanders officially joined the Republic's Armed Forces, through negotiations, the entire brigade would end up being absorbed and mixed in with new born regiments of the Republic exception of the First Kearny. The First Kearny would be allow to soldier on as continuing legacy of Northwind Highlanders history. Four of the Regiments would fight in Republic's first military action, Operation Golden Dawn, where they would fight the Free Worlds League and be later absorbed in Republic Auxiliaries as they became too damaged function on their own. Elements of the Highlanders would be noted becoming later the Ninth and Tenth Hastati Sentinels. The First Kearny's rebuilding process would be hammered for years due actions taken the Golden Dawn, where one of one of it's battalions would be used to rebuild the Third Republic Auxiliaries.[13]

In the early years of the Republic after the Brigade was reduced to the First Kearny, the regiment served as a garrison force defending the Northwind Military Academy. As time went on, the Highlander's lastt regiment would soon deploy offworld in a new role as a troubling shooting force for the Republic.[14]

By 3132, Highlander's leader, Countess Tara Campbell, Prefect of Prefecture III had taken charge entire brigade. With the crash of the HPG Network, the Northwind Highlanders came perhaps one of only Republic loyal military forces left ward off rebellion and invasions which includes Campbell's former mentor and predecessor Katana Tormark, leadering her own splinter group for House Kurita. Campbell dispatched and disperse 1st Kearny across Prefecture III to quell rebellion and uprisings. Minigate thinning of her lone regiment, Campbell put call to arms of loyal Republicans aid her efforts fight threats to the nation. In doing so the Northwind Highlanders once became a multi-regimental brigade, gained two additional regiment of troops, the Northwind Fusiliers and Republic Guards. The new brigade made from memorial groups of the Northwind Highlanders past regiments and volunteers from across Republic and beyond. With the later regiment forming as both the First Kearny and Fusiliers coverage ran thin trying put off Republic's troubles.

In 3133, elements of the Highlanders would face multiple invasions of Northwind by Steel Wolves within nine months which left Northwind considerable among of damage. Despite this, Campbell redeploys the Northwind Highlanders to search for the Steel Wolves. By April in intelligence reports lead the regiment to Terra, where they would face off and repel Clan force with aid of Tenth Principes Guards.[15]

Prefect Campbell became a media darling and turned down a position as Paladin after her successful defense of Terra. The Highlanders are used within the Republic as a sort of troubleshooting unit, constantly heading to hotspots. 3134 saw them garrisoning Addicks and Small World in addition to their home world[16] .

Within two months of repelling the Steel Wolves, the Northwind Highlanders called to Skye where they would end up mounting defense against Clan Jade Falcon's invasion of Prefecture IX which would lead to Highlanders allied with remaining Prefecture forces and splinter groups including of the Stormhammers and Steel Wolves. Jade Falcons Expedition would ultimately succeed in taking the Skye in second battle.[17][18]

The First Kearny was within Prefecture X when the Fortress's Walls in October 3135. The RAF would order organize its combat units within Prefecture X, including the First Kearny into other newly raised line regiments. This did not sit well with people of Northwind, so to appease the population, the newly formed Twelfth Hastatis Sentinels would be raised large percentage of soldiers who had ancestry links to the Highlander regiments. The newly formed regiment maintain a close relationship with Northwind Military Academy, rotating officers as instructors to the school abd exercise with cadets as part their training.[19]

The current publishers state, that in many of the earlier publications based in the 3025 era, the Highlanders had apparently been serving House Liao for so long they were no longer considered mercenary, but closer to regular House troops. CCAF Regular army recruits and academy graduates were frequently assigned to Highlander regiments, including a young Wayne Waco.[20][21] Actually, this is not correct, since several of the original Highlander regiments originated in the Capellan Confederation even before the Star League era. Marion's Highlanders originated from St. Ives Militia units, and McCormack's Fusiliers were bloodied in the defense of the Capellan planet Tikonov. The 1st Kearny Highlanders fought for House Liao during the First Andurien War. [22]

The Northwind Highlanders appear in the MechWarrior IV: Mercenaries computer game as a possible sponsor. Units sponsored by the Highlanders gain additional C-Bills per mission completed.

Field Manuel: 3145 notes the First Kearny Highlander regiment being absorbed by the Republic Armed Forces behind the Republic wall. However, there is no mentions of the fates of the newly raised Northwind Fusiliers and Republic Guard regiments. Also, listed among the Armed Forces of the Republic Remnents, is a single Battalion listed simply as the "Highlander Battalion". It is not clear in the text of the Field Manual if this unit is related to the Northwind Highlanders.[23]